Shoplift
by FoxFireman
Summary: During a trip to the convenience store with her fellow club members, Sayori realizes she doesn't have money to buy snacks, so she decides to steal some instead.


DISCLAIMER: I don't claim ownership to DDLC.

Monika was reading a book on the couch in her living room when she heard the doorbell ring. She headed to the front door & opened it, smiling when she saw Sayori, Yuri, & Natsuki on her doorstep.

"Hello, everyone! Glad you all could make it!" she said happily.

Monika had started a Literature Club at school at the start of the school year, which three other girls joined shortly after: Sayori, the carefree & clumsy vice-president, Yuri, the shy & quiet introvert, & Natsuki, the manga loving tsundere. As time went on, the four girls shared their passion for literature & eventually grew to be good friends, despite occasional arguments. Although they hung out with each other in the clubroom most days after school, they almost never took the time to hang out outside of school. One day in early February, Monika decided to invite her club members over to her house for a night over the weekend so they could finally spend some time together out of school. It was Saturday afternoon when the three girls arrived at Monika's house. They came in, shivering from the cold outside. Monika shut the door behind them.

"It's freezing out there today. It's way colder than it usually gets," Natsuki stated, sounding a bit annoyed.

"Hi, Monika!" Sayori said excitedly. She quickly pulled Monika into a bear hug. "I've been looking forward to coming over here all week!" She then released Monika.

"Me too! We've barely hung out together other than in the club, so I figured this weekend would be a good time. My parents aren't going to be home all weekend, so we'll have the house all to ourselves. We also have Netflix in the living room, so we can watch a movie tonight," Monika replied.

"That sounds wonderful! Thank you for inviting us, Monika. I don't get to do things like this very often," Yuri said.

"You're very welcome, Yuri. So, how about I give you all a tour of the house?" Monika said.

The girls took off their coats & gloves & dropped off the stuff they brought over, then followed Monika as she showed them her home. After a tour of the house & some friendly chatter, the four of them headed into the living room & sat down. The girls took notice of the massive TV against the wall.

"That sure is a big TV you've got here," Natsuki said, "How big is it?"

"It's a 90 inch. My parents wanted the biggest TV they could find. I have to admit, I sure do like it," Monika replied.

"Yeah, it's pretty neat! It must be nice getting to watch movies on that thing," Natsuki said.

Sayori suddenly decided to speak up. "Hey, Monika. Sorry to ask this so soon after getting here, but…" She looked a bit embarrassed.

"But what?" Monika asked, curious.

"Well, do you have any snacks?" Sayori asked, "It's just that I'm getting hungry."

"Again? On the way here, you said you ate a big lunch, & then ate again before we came over here," Natsuki stated.

Sayori laughed nervously. "Well, yeah, sorry. But I can't help it!"

Monika smiled. "Well, that's fine! Come to think of it, I forgot to check if there's anything for tonight when we watch a movie. Let's go & see what we have," Monika said, "Yuri, Natsuki, do you two want anything?"

"Not right now, thank you," Yuri said.

"Maybe later," Natsuki said.

"Okay, Sayori & I will be right back," Monika said.

Monika & Sayori headed to the kitchen. Monika opened the pantry door & went inside, then started looking for snacks.

"Well, this isn't good. There's pretty much nothing here to eat. It looks like we're out of popcorn too," she said.

"What? What are we going to do for tonight, then?" Sayori asked.

"Uh… I'm not sure. I should have remembered to check if I needed to buy anything for tonight. I'm sorry," Monika said, feeling guilty. They walked back to the living room, where Yuri & Natsuki were waiting.

"You didn't get anything to eat, or did Sayori eat everything already?" Natsuki asked.

Sayori plopped down on the couch, looking concerned. "There's no snacks. Monika said she forgot to check if there's snacks tonight. There's no popcorn either."

"Oh, well, I'm sure we can think of something," Yuri added.

Sayori began to panic. "This can't be happening… There's no food. I've got to get out of here. I've got to get out of here!"

Natsuki jumped up & grabbed Sayori's shoulders, shaking her. "Calm down! Get a hold of yourself!" she said.

Monika came up behind Natsuki. "Natsuki, please, let me handle this," she said. Natsuki stepped aside, allowing Monika to begin violently shaking Sayori. "Calm down! Everything's going to be alright!" Monika quickly slapped Sayori in the face.

Yuri walked up to them. "Monika, you're wanted on the phone." Monika noticed that her phone on the coffee table had received a text message, so she slapped Sayori again, then went to answer it. Yuri then began shaking Sayori. "Everything's going to be alright! Please, calm down!" She slapped Sayori a few more times. Natsuki approached Sayori again with boxing gloves on.

"Wait a minute, everyone," Monika said, getting the other girls' attention, "I don't know why I didn't think of this until now, but there's a convenience store a little ways from here. We could just head over there & buy some stuff for tonight. What do you guys say?"

"Well, I don't know. It's pretty cold out today; I don't know if I want to go walking to a store in this cold," Natsuki replied.

Monika looked over at the digital thermometer on the table beside the couch. It showed -24.3°C for the outside temperature, much colder than Japan's average winter temperature.

"Well, I mean, it's not that cold out," she said.

"Are you kidding? I thought you said you prefer warm weather. Why would you want to go out in such cold weather?" Natsuki asked.

"It won't take long. It's only about a fifteen minute walk there. Then we just buy some stuff & come back. At least we'll have some food for later tonight that way," Monika said.

"Yeah, you're not afraid of a little cold, are you?" Sayori teased.

"Afraid?" Natsuki suddenly got a bit defensive. "I'm not afraid of the cold, it's just…"

"It is quite cold out, but I'd be happy to go with you two," Yuri suddenly interjected.

"Okay, fine. Count me in," Natsuki said.

"Well, alright! I'm just going to run upstairs & grab some money, then we can go." Monika headed upstairs to her room, grabbed some money, & went back down. The four of them put on their coats & gloves & stepped outside. By this time, it was lightly snowing & there was a bit of wind, making it feel even colder. They made their way to the convenience store, jogging most of the way to try to stay warm.

…

After a little while, they reached the store & went inside, where they were greeted by the clerk, a man who looked to be around 40 years old.

"Ah, this is better. Nice & warm in here," Sayori said.

The store was fairly large for a convenience store. There weren't many other people in the building, likely because of most people wanting to stay home due to the cold. Sayori was almost drooling after noticing all the food & snacks in the store. There were several aisles of chips, chocolate bars, beef jerky, popcorn, different kinds of pop, & all sorts of different treats. There was even a hotdog roller grill & slush machine at the back of the store.

"Well, this is the place. Wow, I actually haven't been here for a while. Anyway, feel free to look around & pick out anything you'll want for snacks tonight," Monika said to her friends.

Sayori practically ran towards the hotdog grill in the back. Yuri & Natsuki started browsing the aisles for snacks while Monika picked up some popcorn & drinks. Sayori prepared two hotdog buns & used the tongs to grab a couple hotdogs from the grill. Then she began walking up & down the aisles, grabbing several bags of chips & chocolate bars.

"You're getting all that?" Sayori noticed Natsuki standing beside her, observing the massive amount of food she was grabbing from the shelves.

"Um… yeah, why not?" Sayori asked.

"Well, Monika is the one buying everything. It's probably not fair to make her pay for all of that for you," Natsuki replied as Yuri approached them.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Sorry. I'll buy some of this stuff myself, then." Sayori reached into her pockets to see how much money she had, but realized all of her pockets were empty, except for her phone & house key. "Oh no, I didn't bring any money!"

"Let me guess, you forgot your money at home again?" Natsuki asked with a smug expression.

"Ehehe, yeah," Sayori admitted, "Um, do either of you have some money I could borrow, by any chance?"

"Sorry, I left all of mine at Monika's house," Yuri said.

"I'm not lending you any! I barely get any money from my dad as it is, & I already lent you some a couple weeks ago!" Natsuki said, "You'll just have to put some of that stuff back."

Sayori looked a bit downcast. "Awww, really? Well, okay then." She began putting back several of the snacks she chose onto the shelves.

"Monika is ready to pay. We shouldn't keep her waiting," Yuri said. The three of them headed over to the clerk, where Monika was waiting, & put their stuff down onto the counter. Sayori mentally scolded herself for forgetting to bring money with her. She couldn't help but want more food for movie night. If only she could think of some way to get it…

Monika paid for the food, which the clerk put into bags, & each of the girls grabbed a bag. Sayori had already finished eating both of her hotdogs at this point.

"Thank you, have a nice day," the clerk said.

"You too," Monika replied.

"Hey, I'm just going to run to the bathroom before we head back. Is that okay?" Sayori said.

"Yes, of course. We'll wait for you," Monika replied.

"I might be awhile. You might want to just start heading back. I'll catch up with you, don't worry," Sayori said.

Natsuki sighed in annoyance. "Is this just so you can get out of having to carry any bags?"

"No! I just figured you guys wouldn't want to wait for me forever, that's all," Sayori said.

"Well… Alright, I guess we'll start heading back if we get tired of waiting," Monika said. Sayori handed Monika her bag & headed to the bathroom on the other end of the store.

…

After close to ten minutes of waiting for Sayori, Natsuki spoke up. "Ugh, she's taking forever! Can we just start heading back now?"

"I think it would be polite for us to wait for her, Natsuki," Yuri said.

"But we've been waiting for almost ten minutes, & she said she didn't mind if we wanted to go," Natsuki replied.

"Okay, okay, I guess we can start heading back then. I'm sure Sayori will catch up with us when she's done," Monika said. The three of them exited the store & began their walk back to Monika's house.

Sayori came out of the bathroom just as her friends went outside & seen them through the glass door. She made her way to the exit, walking through the aisle where she was loading up on snacks earlier. As she walked past the food she put back, she suddenly remembered how badly she wanted to stock up on sweets for later that night. She stopped & began staring at the tasty looking treats on the shelves, then suddenly got an idea. Surely there was no harm done to the store if a treat or two happened to go missing, right? Examining her surroundings, there didn't seem to be anybody else in the store at the moment. After a moment of hesitation, Sayori unzipped her coat & grabbed a chocolate bar off the shelf, stuffing it into one of her inside pockets. She considered leaving now, but had the urge to take more. She began grabbing more chocolate bars & some bags of chips, filling more of her coat's inside pockets. As she stocked up on stolen treats, she was unaware that she was in eyesight of the store's clerk, who was watching her the whole time.

Sayori zipped up her coat & quickly headed to the front doors, trying not to look suspicious.

"Excuse me, miss." Sayori, now feeling nervous, stopped & turned to look at the clerk, who was glaring at her. "Are you planning on paying for that stuff in your pockets?"

Sayori's eyes widened as she realized that the clerk had caught her trying to shoplift from his store. She didn't know what to do at this point.

"Well?" the clerk said, crossing his arms.

Sayori suddenly bolted to the doors, slamming them open & running.

"Hey, stop! Come back here, you thief!" the clerk shouted, running to the doors. He opened the doors & saw Sayori making a getaway. He wasn't wearing his coat, so he decided he probably shouldn't go after her, given how cold it was outside.

Monika, Yuri, & Natsuki, who were just up ahead, turned around, noticing Sayori charging towards them.

"Get back here or I'm going to call the police!" the clerk called out.

"What the… What's going on?" Monika said.

Sayori caught up to her friends. "We need to go, now!"

Monika, Yuri, & Natsuki didn't know what was going on, but they began running with Sayori. They continued running until they were all out of breath, & stopped at a crosswalk.

"Sayori, what's going on? Why was the clerk shouting at you?" Monika asked.

"Uh, I… I don't know, honest!" Sayori replied, trying to hide her guilt.

"Did you do something wrong while you were in the store or something?" Monika questioned.

"No! I went to the bathroom, & then I went to leave the store to catch up with you guys. Next thing I knew, the clerk started chasing me," Sayori lied.

"That doesn't make any sense, though. What reason would he have to go after you?" Natsuki said.

"I… don't know. Look, can we just go back?" Sayori said, trying to dismiss the conversation.

"Yeah, sure…" Monika replied. She handed Sayori back her bag.

…

The four of them continued walking until they reached Monika's house. Monika unlocked the front door & they entered the house, setting their bags down & taking off their coats & gloves. Sayori, however, kept her coat on.

Monika couldn't take her mind off what had happened back at the convenience store. What could have happened that made the clerk chase Sayori out of the store? She & the other girls brought the bags into the kitchen, where Monika took the snacks & stored them in the pantry.

"Thank you for buying all of this for us, Monika. That was very nice of you," Yuri said.

"You're welcome. What's a movie night without junk food, right?" Monika replied.

"Yeah! Junk food that's legally paid for & not stolen at all! Right?" Sayori said, sounding a bit nervous.

"Uh, right…" Monika said, "Anyway, now that that's out of the way, I suppose we should find something to do now, right? This is the first time we've all hung out together other than in the clubroom. What do you guys feel like doing?"

"Hey, Sayori. Aren't you going to take off your coat?" Natsuki asked, making Sayori visibly nervous.

"Oh, um… Maybe later. Ehehe…" Sayori avoided making eye contact with anybody, making everybody curious.

Monika then noticed something; Sayori's coat seemed to be a little bit bulky in the front. Thinking about what happened earlier at the store, she started to get suspicious & decided to ask Sayori about it. "Sayori, I couldn't help but notice just now that your coat looks bulky in the front. What's that about?"

Sayori started sweating. "Uh… It's nothing. This coat is just insulated more in the front, that's all!"

Monika wasn't convinced. "Sayori, could you take off your coat?"

"Take off my coat? Why?" Sayori was starting to shake a bit now.

Monika walked over to Sayori & grabbed her coat zipper.

"Monika, wait!" Sayori said quickly. Monika unzipped Sayori's coat & opened it, seeing the large amount of treats in the inside pockets. Yuri & Natsuki also took notice.

"Where did you get all this? I thought you didn't have any money with you," Monika said. Sayori stayed silent, looking at Monika with a guilty expression. "Sayori… Did you steal this stuff?"

Sayori looked at Yuri & Natsuki, who had concerned expressions on their faces. She sighed. "Alright, yes. I took it after I was done in the bathroom."

The others were at a loss for words. Sayori didn't seem like the type of person who would shoplift, yet here she was, admitting to it, with a coat full of stolen goods.

Monika usually didn't have the courage to put her foot down against others, but decided she had to make an exception in this situation. "What on earth were you thinking?! What made you think shoplifting was a good idea?"

"Well, I just… didn't think it was that big of a deal. The store has so much stuff, it's not like they're going to go out of business or anything, & this is the only time I've ever shoplifted, I swear," Sayori replied.

"That doesn't matter, Sayori. Stealing is wrong! You can't just take a bunch of food from a store without paying for it just because you say they can afford the loss. Would you like if somebody stole something from you, even if it was something little?" Monika said. Sayori looked down, now starting to feel ashamed of what she did. "You're still my friend, Sayori, but I'm really disappointed with you right now."

Sayori sat down at the kitchen table & put her face into her hands, now regretting stealing from the store. Now that she thought about it, she didn't know what would have caused her to ever consider stealing in the first place. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have stolen this stuff."

Natsuki decided to speak up. "When that guy at the store was shouting out the door, didn't he say he was going to call the police?"

Sayori gasped as her head shot up. "Oh no! You're right! He's going to tell the police. This isn't good at all… What should I do?" She was almost crying at this point, afraid she could be arrested. She noticed Yuri silently looking at her with sympathy.

"Well, I have a suggestion," Monika said, "Go back to the store with the stuff you stole, give it all back, & apologize to the clerk. Maybe he'll decide to forgive you & not press charges, & not only that, it's also the right thing to do."

Sayori stood up with tears in her eyes & smiled at Monika. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Monika." She gave Monika a hug. "If you guys don't mind, could you maybe come with me? I'm kind of scared to back there alone."

"Of course, Sayori, & thank you for doing the right thing," Monika said sincerely. Yuri nodded in approval.

"So we have to go out in the cold again?" Natsuki said.

…

The girls arrived at the convenience store for the second time that day. Sayori was holding a bag filled with all the sweets she stole earlier. There was a police car parked outside, making Sayori afraid to face the clerk again. What if the police officer decided to arrest her despite returning the stolen items? She shivered at the idea of spending a humiliating night in jail. What would her parents say if they found out about this? Her friends stood beside her outside of the store, noticing that she was afraid of what might happen when the clerk saw her again.

Yuri put a hand on Sayori's shoulder. "You can do this, Sayori. Everything is going to be okay, I promise, & we'll be right behind you."

Sayori took a deep breath, then headed to the store's front doors & entered the building as her friends followed. There was a police officer at the checkout counter, listening to the clerk's story about witnessing a shoplifter. Sayori told her friends to wait by the doors, then slowly approached the counter, getting increasingly nervous with each step. The clerk & the police officer noticed Sayori as she stopped & put the bag on the counter.

"Hey, it's you! You're the one who shoplifted here earlier!" the clerk said, recognizing Sayori.

Sayori mustered up as much courage as she could as her friends watched from by the doors. "Yes, it's me. I came back here because… I wanted to apologize for what I did earlier. It was wrong of me to steal from your store. I really don't know what made me think it was a good idea to steal, but everything I took is in the bag." Sayori pointed at the bag she put on the counter. "I'm really sorry for what I did, & I wanted to make it right."

The clerk picked up the bag & emptied its contents onto the counter, seeing several different kinds of junk food. Both he & the police officer stared at Sayori in disbelief. The police officer was shocked at what he had just seen. He had been a police officer for eight years, & of all the shoplifters & thieves he had dealt with throughout his career, this was the only time he had ever seen somebody confess to what they did & willingly return what they had stolen.

"You actually brought everything back?" the clerk asked.

Sayori nodded with an expression of shame on her face. "I wanted to come clean, so here I am." She looked at the police officer. "So, I guess… Do whatever you have to do."

The police officer looked at the clerk, who seemed to be just as surprised as he was. The clerk spoke up. "You really had the courage to bring back what you stole. I have to admit, I'm surprised, but I accept your apology." He paused for a few seconds, then smiled & looked at the police officer. "If it's alright with you, officer, I think maybe you could simply let her off with a warning. I think she's learned her lesson."

"I suppose so. This is definitely a first for me, but sure. I'll let you off with a warning, as long as you promise to never shoplift again," the police officer said.

"I promise," Sayori replied.

The police officer nodded & smiled. "Well then, I'll be going now. Have a good evening." He walked past Monika, Yuri, & Natsuki & out the doors.

"Hey, what's your name, by the way?" the clerk asked Sayori.

"It's Sayori."

"Well, Sayori, I really want to thank you for bringing back what you stole & coming clean. That was a brave thing you did."

Sayori felt a little guilty again. "Well, there's no need to thank me. It wasn't right for me to steal from your store. I just did what I could to make up for it."

"Well, I do appreciate it. I really do," the clerk replied.

"Thanks! Anyway, I should probably get going. I'm having a movie night with my friends tonight!" Sayori said.

"Alright then, Sayori. See you later," the clerk said.

Sayori turned around to see her friends grinning, proud that she set things right. She strolled over to them. "So? How did I do?" All three of them pulled Sayori into a hug.

"We're all proud of you! Just make sure you keep your promise, no more stealing," Monika said.

Sayori giggled. "No more stealing, I promise!"

"Alright, good! So, how about we get back to my place & do something fun now?" Monika said. The others agreed.

The four of them exited the store & began walking back to Monika's house. Yuri then turned to the rest of the group. "Hey, Monika, Natsuki. I'm sorry if this sounds a bit strange, but is it alright if you two go on without us for now? Sayori & I will catch up in a few minutes, I just want to talk to her in private for a bit."

"Um… Well, sure!" Monika replied, "Come on, Natsuki." The two of them began walking ahead. After about thirty seconds, Sayori & Yuri began walking again.

"So, Yuri, why did you want to talk in private?" Sayori said.

"I just wanted to ask, was this your first time shoplifting?" Yuri asked.

"Yes, I've never stole anything before today," Sayori replied, "But why do you ask?"

Yuri couldn't help but smirk a bit. "Well, I guess I was just wondering how you felt about shoplifting. I noticed how much you wanted to stock up on sweets at the store when we were there earlier, so…" Yuri reached into her coat pocket & pulled out a large handful of chocolate bars, catching Sayori's attention.

"Did… Did you steal those, Yuri?" Sayori asked.

"Well, yes, I did. I grabbed these when you were talking to the clerk & the police officer. I know how much you like sweets, after all. I figured it would be a nice thing to do for a friend!" Yuri replied, pulling more chocolate bars out of her other coat pocket.

Sayori was dumbfounded. "But… Why? Why wouldn't you just buy them?"

"Well, Sayori, I have a confession to make. This wasn't my first time shoplifting. Not even close to my first time, in fact," Yuri said with pride.

"What?!" Sayori was shocked.

"I've been doing it for years, actually, & I've never been caught once. So here you go," Yuri said, holding out the stolen chocolate bars for Sayori to take.

"But what about what Monika said earlier about stealing being wrong? What is she going to say about this?" Sayori said.

"Well, this will be our little secret," Yuri replied.

Sayori smiled mischievously & took the chocolate bars from Yuri, stuffing them into her pockets.


End file.
